A hazy morning. I
decided by Alice’s advice, with a heavy heart, to make the attempt
to go to Clova. At half-past twelve drove with Alice and Lenchen to
Altnagiuthasach, where we lunched, having warmed some broth and
boiled some potatoes, and then rode up and over the Capel Month in
frequent slight snow-showers. All the high hills white with snow;
and the view of the green Clova hills covered with snow at the tops,
with gleams of sunshine between the showers, was very fine; but it
took us a long time, and I was very tired towards the end, and felt
very sad and lonely. Loch Mulch looked beautiful in the setting sun
as we came down, and reminded me of many former happy days I spent
there. We stopped to take tea at Altnagiuthasach. Grant was not with
us, having gone with Vicky. We started at about twenty minutes to
seven from Altnagiuthasach, Brown on the box next Smith, who was
driving, little Willem (Alice’s black serving boy) behind. It was
quite dark when we left, but all the lamps were lit as usual; from
the first, however, Smith seemed to be quite confused (and indeed
has been much altered of late), and got off the road several times,
once in a very dangerous place, when Alice called out and Brown got
off the box to show him the way. After that, however, though going
very slowly, we seemed to be all right, but Alice was not at all
reassured, and thought Brown’s holding up the lantern all the time
on the box indicated that Smith could not see where he was going,
though the road was as broad and plain as possible. Suddenly, about
two miles from Altnagiuthasach, and about twenty minutes after we
had started, the carriage began to turn up on one side; we called
out: “What’s the matter?” There was an awful pause, during which
Alice said: “We are upsetting.” In another moment—during which I had
time to reflect whether we should be killed or not, and thought
there were still things I had not settled and wanted to do—the
carriage turned over on its side, and we were all precipitated to
the ground! I came down very hard, with my face upon the ground,
near the carriage, the horses both on the ground, and Brown calling
out in despair, “The Lord Almighty have mercy on us! Who did ever
see the like of this before! I thought you were all killed.” Alice
was soon helped up by means of tearing all her clothes to
disentangle her; but Lenchen, who had also got caught in her dress,
called out very piteously, which frightened me a good deal; but she
was also got out with Brown’s assistance, and neither she nor Alice
was at all hurt. I reassured them that I was not hurt, and urged
that we should make the best of it. as it was an inevitable
misfortune. Smith, utterly confused and bewildered, at length came
up to ask if I was hurt. Meantime the horses were lying on the
ground as if dead, and it was absolutely necessary to get them up
again. Alice, whose calmness and coolness were admirable, held one
of the lamps while Brown cut the traces, to the horror of Smith, and
the horses were speedily released and got up unhurt. There was now
no means of getting home except by sending back Smith with the two
horses to get another carriage. All this took some time, about half
an hour, before we got off. By this time I felt that my face was a
good deal bruised and swollen, and, above all, my right thumb was
excessively painful, and much swollen; indeed I thought at first it
was broken, till we began to move it. Alice advised then that we
should sit down in the carriage—that is, with the bottom of the
carriage as a back—which we did, covered with plaids, little Willem
sitting in front, with the hood of his “bournous” over his head,
holding a lantern, Brown holding another, and being indefatigable in
his attention and care. He had hurt his knee a good deal in jumping
off the carriage. A little claret was all we could get either to
drink or wash my face and hand. Almost directly after the accident
happened, I said to Alice it was terrible not to be able to tell it
to my dearest Albert, to which she answered: “But he knows it all,
and I am sure he watched over us.” I am thankful that it was by no
imprudence of mine, or the slightest deviation from what my beloved
one and I had always been in the habit of doing, and what he
sanctioned and approved.

The thought of having to sit here in the road ever so long was, of
course, not very agreeable, but it was not cold, and I remembered
from the first what my beloved one had always said to me, namely, to
make the best of what could not be altered. We had a faint hope, at
one moment, that our ponies might overtake us; but then Brown
recollected that they had started before us. We did nothing but talk
of the accident, and how; it could have happened, and how merciful
the escape was, and we all agreed that Smith was quite unfit to
drive me again in the dark. We had been sitting here about half an
hour when we heard the sound of voices and of horses hoofs, which
came nearer and nearer. To our relief we found it was our ponies
Kennedy (whom dear Albert liked, and who always went out with him,
and now generally goes with us) had become fearful of an accident,
as we were so long coming; he heard Smith going back with the
ponies, and then, seeing lights moving about, he felt convinced
something must have happened, and therefore rode back to look for
us, which was very thoughtful of him, for else we might have sat
there till ten. o'clock. We mounted our ponies at once and proceeded
home. Brown leading Alice’s and my pony, which he would not let go
for fear of another accident. Lenchen and Willem followed, led by
Alick Grant. Kennedy carried the lantern in front. It was quite
light enough to see the road without a lantern. At the hill where
the gate of the deer-fence is, above the distillery, we met the
other carriage, again driven by Smith, and a number of stable-people
come to raise the first carriage, and a pair of horses to bring it
home. We preferred, however, riding home, which we reached at about
twenty minutes to ten o’clock. No one knew what had happened till we
told them. Fritz and Louis were at the door. People were foolishly
alarmed when we got upstairs, and made a great fuss. Took only a
little soup and fish in my room, and had my head bandaged.

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